Police in the Indian capital New Delhi have arrested a second man over the rape and kidnapping of a five-year-old girl.

The little girl is said to be in a stable condition after being abducted from her home and locked in a cellar where she was bashed, stabbed and repeatedly raped for two days.

The parents of the victim claim police ignored them when the girl went missing, and then offered them a bribe equivalent to about $35 to keep quiet once news of the case became public.

They were reportedly told that they should be grateful their daughter was alive.

The second man to be arrested is a friend of a 22-year-old garment worker who has already been taken into custody.

Locals took the ABC to the room where the girl was held.The dank and airless room is in a basement just below her parent's apartment.The smell of urine and fecal matter is almost overpowering.No-one heard her screams as she was bashed, stabbed and raped for almost two days.

South-East correspondent Michael Edwards in New Delhi

The attack has yet again sparked outrage over the treatment of women and girls in India, with the Jantar Mantar area, in the centre of New Delhi, becoming the focal point for protests.

One activist, who gave her name as Nandini, said she was seething with rage.

"[I'm] furious, we are reaching a point where we don't understand why there is so much violence and why is it increasing? And why the mindset simply doesn't seem to be changing," she told the ABC.